Spontaneous Prose and Its Improvisational Influences
Jack Kerouac is credited for working to describe the beat generation in his essay, “The Origins of the Beat Generation.” Kerouac describes the term “beat” as an all-encompassing descriptor of the experiences and influences of the nonconformists that made up the Beat generation. One of the strongest influences of the Beat generation was jazz music, specifically bebop. Bebop jazz is known for its fast tempo, changes in key, and improvised structure. Kerouac describes one of the most influential bebop musicians, Charlie Parker, as “one of his early ‘secret heroes’” (Charters 9). This idolization is reflected in Kerouac’s writing, as he adopts a style called “Spontaneous Prose, which mirrors a lot of the conventions of bebop jazz.
Kerouac describes his experimentation with both rhythm and meter in his essay, “Essentials of Spontaneous Prose.” Kerouac discusses his focus, whatever topic he is trying to illustrate through his writing, and how he works to convey it completely to his audience. Kerouac creates rhythm in his writing through maintaining the “purity of speech” through writing an “undisturbed flow from the mind” (Kerouac 57). This undisturbed flow consists of listing out words until he finds himself “satisfied” with either how he is articulating something, the rhythm created through this listing method, or both. This spontaneous nature of both speech and writing allows Kerouac to portray his thought process to his audience and it also develops a very human quality to his work. Oftentimes, it is difficult to articulate our thoughts and feelings at first, sometimes it takes trial and error to reach an end product that we are satisfied with. Communication is complex, as it takes practice in order to be able to communicate effectively with others. Kerouac very literally illustrates his struggles with communication, especially when describing complex experiences and ideas, through his methods of spontaneous prose. An example of his unedited flow of words can be found in Kerouac’s 211th Chorus from “Mexico City Blues.” In his search to describe how the “meat wheel” rejects all forms of “conception of living beings”, Kerouac crafts a description of living characters that range from “pigs, turtles, frogs, insects, nits” to “elephants, rams, eagles, condors” (Kerouac 53). Kerouac is able to create a tempo of sorts through his method of listing factors that construct his focus and overall meaning. Through stressing the differing forms of existence through his lists, Kerouac illustrates that all that are living are not safe from the “meat wheel”. Kerouac only addresses safety in the last line of the chorus, “safe in heaven dead”, developing the idea that the “meat wheel” can not affect those who have reached a salvation of sorts after their lifetime is over (Kerouac 53). This constructs the idea that the “meat wheel” is simply society, lifetime ailments, and worldly ills. This “meat wheel” is something that affects all living animals and humans alike, suggesting that Kerouac is working to develop the theme of struggle present in all life, regardless of physical being. His method of spontaneously listing out supporting factors and phrases aids him in developing rhythm, meter, and meaning. He develops a spoken quality to his work through his described “procedure” that creates rhythm in his poetry. The very structure created through listing creates a model for the poem to fall into, therefore, developing meter. The listed factors stand out to the audience and draw attention to what Kerouac is focusing on, as these factors create an extensive description of what is included in this focus. This creation of central focus and attention works to develop the overall meaning of the poem, the very facet that Kerouac struggles with articulating the most.
Kerouac’s style of versification and “spontaneous prose,” as a whole, stems from his love of bebop jazz. Kerouac’s idol, Charlie Parker, is well known for his contributions and inspiration to the bebop genre. Through his writing style, Kerouac reflects his own influences, specifically those stemming from Parker. Kerouac’s method of only including jazz-like “measured pauses” for breaks instead of the traditional periods and “needless commas,” along with his mindset of “time being of the essence” connects to the fast tempo that characterizes bebop jazz (Kerouac 57). Breaks are only included to create the intentional speech-like qualities of poetic rhythm, but are done so in a way that mirrors the music style that so heavily influences the beat generation. Jazz was so significantly influential to the beats that they even structured their writing in ways that follow the model created by the genre, therefore establishing an auditory value to their use of meter as well. Kerouac’s method of writing spontaneous prose as if the time is running out is relayed through his writing style, such as when he starts rambling off lists to try to connect the complexities of his focus instead of taking a break from his writing to think on what the appropriate singular phrase would be. Kerouac does not interrupt his writing flow, creating a rushed tone in his work that is similar to the fast tempo found in bebop jazz. Kerouac even alludes to his bebop inspiration in “Mexico City Blues” through the mention of Charlie Parker. In the 239th, 240th, and 241st Choruses, Kerouac mentioned Parker’s name, along with his well known expression of “all is well” and the instrument he is known for playing, the saxophone. Kerouac references Parker as a way to define his writing influences and some of his own personal thoughts. Through referencing Parker and modeling his writing style off of bebop jazz, Kerouac is ultimately saying that the beat generation is doing as they were influenced to, through their personal inspirations and experiences.
This style of “spontaneous prose” even adopts a structural quality which can be interpreted as the result of a strong bebop influence. This influence specifically originates from the improvised quality of bebop jazz. Bebop jazz typically follows the model of a beginning melody that is paired with a rhythm section that is followed by an improvised section, before the song goes back to the original melody. Kerouac embodies this model through the structure of his own prose, specifically in the 242nd Chorus of “Mexico City Blues.” The first stanza can be compared to the beginning melody of a bebop song. This stanza consists of three lines, and the following three stanzas each also consist of three lines, which creates a mold for the poem to conform into. However, the fifth stanza deviates from this pattern, as it initially starts with a line only consisting of one word, which is unlike the previous stanzas. The stanza as a whole consists of nine lines, an abnormality within the poem. This mirrors the improvised style of bebop jazz, as it is a break away from the normal, expected structure the beginning “melody” component establishes. The six and final stanza of the poem returns to the original pattern established in the beginning of the poem, as it only has three lines. This stanza even alludes to Parker, as it contains the line “all’s well,” which is a reference to the earlier allusion to the expression “all is well” in the 239th Chorus (Kerouac 56). This reference intentionally connects the poem to bebop jazz, once again instating the influence of jazz in the beat generation’s work, specifically in Kerouac’s “spontaneous prose.”
Charters, Ann. The Portable Beat Reader. Penguin Books, 1992, pp. 9–11.
Kerouac, Jack. “Essentials of Spontaneous Prose.” The Portable Beat Reader. Edited by Ann Charters, Penguin, 1992, pp. 56–57.
